Guwahati, Aug 28: In a major crackdown on cyber crime infrastructure, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has arrested three people, including the Territorial Sales Manager of Airtel in Silchar in Assam, for their alleged role in facilitating the illegal sale of SIM cards that were later used in a range of online frauds, officials said on Thursday.
According to an official statement, the arrests, made on Wednesday as part of the central probe agency’s ongoing Operation Chakra, followed searches at five locations in Cachar district of Assam. Those held have been identified as Debashish Doley, Territorial Sales Manager of Airtel in Silchar, two middlemen—Mahim Uddin Barbhuiya and Ashim Purkayastha.
According to the CBI, its probe revealed that Doley colluded with middlemen, distributors and point-of-sale (PoS) agents in issuing SIM cards without the knowledge or consent of the individuals in whose names the numbers were officially registered.
The sale of these SIM cards violated established guidelines and procedures, with the accused selling them in bulk at inflated prices to middlemen. “These unauthorised SIM cards were later deployed in committing various cyber crimes such as digital arrest frauds, impersonation scams, fake advertisements, investment frauds and UPI-related cheating,” the CBI said in a statement.
The searches led to the recovery of incriminating evidence including mobile phones, electronic devices, and copies of KYC documents, which are being examined by forensic experts. Officials said the arrests underline the government’s focus on dismantling the infrastructure that fuels cyber crimes, in addition to catching the perpetrators.
“This action underscores the government of India’s resolute commitment in combating cyber crimes and in ensuring that facilitators are brought to justice,” the agency said. The arrested accused were presented before a local magistrate in Assam where the CBI obtained transit remand.
They will be produced before the jurisdictional FIR court on Thursday. The investigation is continuing and further arrests have not been ruled out, officials added.
IANS